1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of measuring the motion of a golf ball that moves at an ultrahigh speed in which the golf ball is photographed in order to analyze the motion of the golf ball.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, DINAFAX (trade name) is available on the market as an apparatus for photographing a golf ball in a state in which the golf ball moves at an ultrahigh speed, such as an impact state in which the golf ball receives an impact from a swinging golf club. The DINAFAX has a rotatable cylindrical unit, and film is disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical unit. A lens is provided at a position located away from the center of the cylindrical unit along the axial direction thereof. An image obtained through the lens is projected onto the film through a prism. For high speed photography, the cylindrical unit rotates to thereby sequentially photograph images on the film. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 62-104279 discloses a method which uses a high-speed instantaneous multi-image recording apparatus in combination with a video camera and a strobe.
However, the former method involves the process of developing a film and a problem that when the motion of an object to be photographed continuously varies at an ultrahigh speed, whether or not the object has been successfully photographed is unknown until development is completed. Accordingly, re-photographing is often required, in turn requiring much labor and time for experimentation. According to the latter method, the strobe flashes repeatedly to photograph a number of images of a dynamic object within one display area (multi-image photography) while the shutter of the video camera is open. Thus, this method can be carried out only in a dark place (in a place having at most the brightness of a room). Also, the apparatus itself is very expensive.